I Do
by mecabitchell
Summary: Beca is admiring Chloe's beauty in her wedding dress. She recounts their most important memories together as she zones in and out of the wedding. She can't help but smile at how much she loves Chloe Beale. "And do you, Chloe, take Chicago, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Slow burn, bechloe endgame
1. Chapter 1

Beca stood at the top of the altar, staring at the beautiful redhead in front of her. With tears in her eyes, she recounted all the memories they've had over the past twelve years.

 _Beca grabs a towel and her toiletries basket and heads to the bathroom. In one stall, there are two pairs of feet, whispering to each other._

" _You said we'd try it." The man whispered harshly._

" _I'll get electrocuted!"_

" _How?"_

 _Beca walks in, holding a shower caddy and singing Sia's "Titanium." She looks upbeat in a way she hasn't been seen before. The feet freeze._

" _I'm bulletproof. Nothing to lose. Fire away, fire away…"_

 _Beca doesn't notice them, and instead gets into another stall. As she turns on the water and waits for it to warm, her shower curtain is slowly opened by a very curious redhead._

" _You can sing!" Chloe beams at the beautiful voice that had just came out of the 'small, alt-girl.'_

Beca sniffles slightly as she looks at the way her beautiful red curls are pinned up and surrounded by a thin veil. She always knew Chloe would make a beautiful bride.

" _Chloe, are you okay to take the lead?" Beca looked at her newly-found best friend intently, knowing how damaging her nodes could be, but trusting her to pull the team together._

 _Chloe looked back at Beca and gave a small nod._

 _Beca blows the pitch pipe. She conducts the group, allowing each girl to get used to the rhythm and key they are each individually singing in. After a few verses of Chloe singing Just The Way You Are, Beca jumps in to mix Just a Dream._

 _The two songs mashup perfectly and the group sounds better than they have all year. In the moment, the group improvises with different downbeats, counterbeats, and foot-stomping. The song ends with Chloe's vocals vibrating throughout the pool._

" _When I see your face…"_

The crowd sits down and all attention is focused on Chloe. Her dress is long and flows back with a tail. Not wanting to be traditional, the color has a light undertone of blue to bring out the blue in her own eyes.

Beca can't help but stare and get lost in the beauty that is her best friend. She smiles and can feel a teardrop down her face. She has never seen Chloe so happy before.

 _Beca looks over at the Bellas, dancing and having a blast. Jesse nudges her arm, "C'mon. Let's get stupid together while we still can."_

 _Beca and Jesse cross over to the Bellas. Excited to finally see her, they all cheer like belligerent drunks._

" _Beca! Get over here, you dirty slut!" Chloe screams over the music to draw Beca in._

 _Beca approaches apprehensively, "I know you're just trying to reclaim that word, but it's still not cool to say-"_

 _The Bellas each grab one of Beca's limbs and pulls her into the small Bella dance circle. Beca continues to drink and is finally tipsy enough to let loose. She dances in the middle, her hand up to her cheek and shifting side to side as Chloe slaps her ass in encouragement._

 _The Bellas jump up and down, laughing and singing to the music. Chloe, caught up in the moment, rips off her shirt. "We're going to the worlds!"_

 _She jumps into the pool, trying to convince anyone else to jump in with her. Beca tries to convince Chloe to get out of the pool before she makes an even bigger fool of herself. "C'mon, sweetie, let's come out."_

"Should anyone here present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace." The priest began the ceremony, drawing Beca back into the moment.

The church fell silent as Beca held her breath, waiting for someone to jump in and ruin the whole wedding.

But no one did.

 _Jesse's car sits in the Treble driveway, filled for his cross country trip. Christmas decorations adorn the house. Jesse throws in one last box and turns to a forlorn Beca._

" _I guess this is it. The big goodbye-"_

" _Bec, don't be sad face. We knew this day was coming. I was always going to graduate early and go to film school."_

 _Beca shuffled her feet around, continuing to make better eye contact with the snow than with her boyfriend. "Still stings though. I got you a going away present."_

 _Beca pulls a gift from her bag and hands it to Jesse who opens it._

" _You'll like it. It's about a strange, awkward outsider who leaves home and tries to fit in-"_

 _Chuckling, Jesse cuts Beca off. "Beca, I've seen E.T."_

" _You have? It came out like a hundred years before we were born. How do you know this stuff?"_

" _Thank you. I love it. We'll watch it together."_

 _Beca immediately cringed. "Really? Both hours?"_

 _Jesse shook his head and gave Beca a sad smile. "Still not a movie person."_

 _There's a beat of silence between them. Neither daring to speak, neither daring to end this last moment together._

" _Well, take care of yourself." Beca finally spoke, hearing her voice crack slightly with the emotion beginning to break through her throat._

" _Take care of myself? What are you, my Aunt Dolores?" Jesse clearly couldn't see the seriousness of the situation like Beca did. She wanted to make their goodbye lighthearted, but she didn't want it to be easy._

" _I just mean like don't get hit by a falling meteor or fall asleep holding a lit cigarette-" Beca was rambling again._

" _No, what you mean is that you think we're not going to make it."_

" _C'mon, Jess. Let's be real. This is exactly how relationships die." Jesse didn't say anything. He just continued to look cooly through Beca, as if he was unfazed by the situation. "Look, I'm not upset that you're pursuing your dream. I think that's great. But it means you're moving to the other side of the country. While I stay here to do my thing. And… We're young. We're growing apart. It's happening."_

 _This was the most in-touch Beca has ever been with her feelings. And for her to voice them out loud was a completely new level of her emotions._

" _It's not going to happen. A couple of time zones could never come between us. So nice try. We'll be together again. I promise." Jesse picks up his bags to go._

" _When? When will we be together again?" Beca's voice cracked. Jesse opens his mouth to try and answer but nothing comes to mind._

" _We'll figure it out. I gotta go." Jesse pulls Beca in for one last kiss and gets in his car. Beca watches Jesse pull away._

 _With tears in her eyes, she picks up her phone. She's hurting so much that she's barely able to croak out a very broken, "Chlo?"_

The whole room watches silently as the wedding continues. Beca wants so badly to reach out and grab Chloe's face and kiss her. She wants to show everyone in this room just how amazing Chloe Anne Beale really is.

But the situation seems a bit inappropriate for that right now.

 _Chloe turns to Beca. Their faces are separated only by a couple inches. They whisper back and forth._

" _What are we doing here?"_

" _We're bonding! You seem so tense. Do you need a back rub?" Chloe reaches to tuck a stray hair behind Beca's ear, but the brunette dodges it._

" _Several body parts are rubbing my back right now, thank you."_

" _Beca, I know we're already close but this retreat will let us discover everything about each other."_

" _Is that right?"_

 _Chloe moes in so close that they practically kiss. Beca tries to back her head away from her, but it's impossible. "You know, one of my biggest regrets in college is that I didn't do enough experimenting."_

" _You're so weird." Beca tried to ignore the smell of Chloe's cherry chapstick so close to her own lips._

" _I know." Chloe smiles as she took Beca's remark as a compliment._

" _I want to go home." Beca turns away and her face lands smack dab in front of Lilly's. Lilly darts her tongue out and licks Beca's nose._

 _Little did Beca know, anywhere with Chloe was home._

Chloe looks out to the audience before them. It was a small wedding, only consisting of about 200 people. Chloe catches her mom's eye and smiles at her. Her dad had tears in his eyes and he was doing his best to try and keep them at bay.

That was what Beca and Chloe's dad had best in common. They both kept their feelings and emotions as far away from other people as possible, hoping to never let anyone know what they're thinking or to show weakness.

Mr. Beale loved Beca Mitchell.

 _Beca walked off the stage last. She spent a few extra seconds to allow DJ Khaled to beg the audience for one more round of applause for his newest talent._

 _Beca ran. She looked past every corner to try and find Chloe. She knew that, after tonight, they wouldn't be together anymore. Beca would have to move to California to jump start her music career with DJ Khaled while Chloe would stay in New York to start and finish vet school._

 _The thought of missing Chloe hurt Beca. She never wanted to be apart from the redhead but knew that both their current situations would not allow them to be each other's best friends anymore._

 _She turned one more corner, barely a second too late, to find Chloe gripping Chicago's tie and pulling him down hard for a kiss. Beca's heart stopped._

 _She watched as their kiss grew deeper, hungrier, more than a spur-of-the-moment kind of kiss._

 _She watched as Chloe lifted her leg to wrap around Chicago's waist._

 _She watched as Theo tried to kiss her as well, but she dodged his advances._

 _She watched as Theo watched Chloe and Chicago, knowing he wanted the same for him and Beca._

 _She watched as Chloe kissed him and started something new._

 _She watched as the woman she loved began to love someone else._

"And do you, Chloe, take this man, Chicago, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Beca watched as Chloe's eyes grew wider while the priest finished the rest of his speech, letting Chloe know everything she was getting into by committing herself to the veteran.

Chloe quickly turned around, faced her maid of honor and gave her a questioning look, as if asking her what to say.

Beca threw on her best fake smile and nodded.

"I do."


	2. Chapter 2

"Chloe Beale. God, the stories I could tell about you." A small burst of laughter erupted from the reception hall. "But I can't embarrass you too much. Today's your special day, and I couldn't have been more happy for you."

Beca was giving her maid-of-honor speech. She had tears in her eyes. To everyone else, she was ecstatic for her best friend and was crying tears of absolute joy.

But to her, this was Beca giving her best friend, her love-of-her-life, away to someone else.

"When I first met you, I thought, 'this girl is a fucking-sorry-freaking psycho.'" Everybody laughed again. "I mean, what kind of girl just runs into strangers showers and begs them to sing while they're naked? No one but you, Beale."

Chloe was holding Chicago's hand, her eyes locked on Beca, as the brunette said her speech. She felt tears in her eyes as she remembered the day she ran into Beca's shower. The day Chloe's world turned upside down.

"Nobody in this room-in the world-has the same passion as you. You were passionate about the Bellas. For seven years, I might add." More laughter came from the crowd. "You were passionate about winning Worlds and reclaiming the Bella's name; without you, we all would've given up. You were passionate about me becoming DJ Khaled's newest talent; without you, I would've given up."

For a split second, everything went dark. Beca only saw the glow of Chloe's eyes and she was lost. She wishes that, instead of a maid-of-honor speech, she was saying her vows to the redhead.

"And now, you are passionate about Chicago. I saw the way you guys kissed that first night and I have never seen such passion and excitement coming from two people." Beca was crying now. She replayed the memory in her head and it burned her eyes to see Chloe falling in love with someone that wasn't her.

"Chicago. I don't know you very well, but you saved us that night we were on the boat. I mean, after letting us all get kidnapped, of course." Everybody laughed and Chicago shrugged. He smiled at Beca, knowing how her witty sense of humor worked. "But the moment we climbed onto land, you had a blanket open and ready for Chloe. She ran to you as soon as we were safe, but I knew she didn't really feel safe until she was in your arms."

Beca took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It broke every tendon in her heart to give this speech. "And I know you will keep her safe for the rest of her life. I trust you, Chicago, to take care of this girl because, even though she can be a handful every single day, you'll never grow tired of it. I trust you to protect her. I trust you to love her the way she deserves to be loved."

This was slowly becoming the best friend speech she gave to Chicago a few months ago.

" _Listen up, Chicago. I don't care what you did for our country, how you saved us from Amy's dad, or any status you may have in the military. The second you hurt Chloe, give her even the tiniest paper cut scratch on her perfect body, I will end you. If you do anything less than love her completely, I will hunt you down. I don't care if she hurt you first, because that's_ _ **my**_ _best friend you're marrying and that's_ _ **my**_ _best friend you're loving. If she falls in love and you're not there to catch her, you better get on the next plane to the middle of nowhere because unless you're already dead in a ditch by the time I find you, I will kill you."_

 _Beca stood six inches below Chicago, looking nearly straight up, and giving him the best friend speech._

 _Chicago visibly shuddered, knowing how much Chloe meant to Beca. "I know, Beca. I love her and I'll love her exactly how she deserves to be loved. You can trust me."_

" _I'm going to believe you for now. I trust you to love her and take care of her and never let her get hurt because that girl is just too fucking innocent for this bullshit ass world. If she ever calls me crying, I will not hesitate to hurt you. But for now, I trust you. I trust you to take care of her. I trust you to catch her when she falls. I trust you to defend her. I trust you to love her the way she deserves to be loved."_

 _ **I trust you to love her the way I should have.**_

Chloe was crying at how well her best friend got along with her newfound husband. "And Chloe. I am so happy you've found someone who makes you this happy. I wish you two the best. I trust you, Chicago. And Chloe. I love you."

Beca raised her glass and the reception broke out into applause. Everyone cheered and anyone who knew the relationship Beca and Chloe had together was crying. Beca sat back down next to Chloe and the redhead enveloped her in an awkward side-hug.

"That was beautiful, Becs. Thank you. And I love you too." Chloe placed a small kiss on Beca's cheek. Beca's tears were falling off her cheeks and there was no stopping. She immediately excused herself and ran to the bathroom.

"Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. FUCK!" Beca slammed her head against the stall door and screamed. She was crying and her makeup was ruined and she's sure that her abrupt exit ruined the rest of Chloe's wedding too.

But in actuality, nobody noticed.

Except Aubrey.

"Beca? Are you okay?" Aubrey walked into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She stood in front of the stall door that Beca had locked herself in and placed her hands on the door.

"Oh shit, sorry. Yeah. I just got too drunk. I'll be right out." Beca sniffled and flushed the toilet, pretending to have actually thrown up.

Aubrey sighed and knocked on the door. "Beca, come out here, please. Let's talk."

"I'm fine, Aubrey. Go back out and have fun. I just need a second." Beca sat down on the toilet seat and used the thin toilet paper to try and wipe her tears. She sealed her eyes shut to avoid letting any more tears fall out.

Beca didn't notice when Aubrey had gotten down on her stomach and crawled under the stall door. Half her body was inside the stall when Beca opened her eyes to find a blonde girl in a baby blue dress on the floor of the bathroom.

"Posen, what the fuck?" Beca managed a small chuckle as she stood to reach over Aubrey's body and unlock the door. She pushed it open and stepped over Aubrey and towards the sink.

"Thanks." Aubrey stood up and brushed her dress off. She saw Beca's reflection in the mirror and was shocked at the sight in front of her.

Beca stood in her navy blue dress, her hair perfectly curled and pulled back on one side. But her makeup was smeared. Her lipstick was completely washed off and one of her false eyelashes had fallen off. Her mascara left stray marks all over her cheeks and her nose was red and running. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy.

Beca didn't look like herself at all.

"Beca…" Aubrey held Beca from behind, hugging her hard and felt the brunette break. Beca's body went limp and it took all of Aubrey's strength to keep her up. Beca was sobbing loudly and she could not handle herself.

"I'm sorry, Aubrey. I just-I love her." Beca managed to calm herself down after being held for about seven minutes. Aubrey didn't say anything, hoping that Beca would finally tap into her heart and let out the feelings she's kept buried inside.

"I love Chloe. And I know it's wrong and I know she's with Chicago and I know it's their fucking wedding, but I love her. And I can't stop loving her. I can't delete the pictures of her off my phone and I can't stop texting her everyday and I can't stop thinking about her laugh and I can't stop trying to come up with new ways to make her smile and I can't stop loving her. I know it's wrong and I know I've fucked up and should've told her a million years ago because now it's too fucking late. I know, and I'm sorry." Beca dropped to the floor and sat with her head against the wall.

Aubrey sat down next to her and didn't say anything. There was nothing she possibly could've said. So instead, the two girls sat in the bathroom and stared at the empty wall in front of them.

They stayed there for an hour, when Beca finally had the strength to get up again. Keeping their silence, Aubrey helped Beca fix her makeup and look more presentable. Her eyes were still puffy but anyone can assume that it was from happy tears.

Just as Beca unlocked the bathroom and was about to leave, Aubrey finally spoke. "I don't trust Chicago."

* * *

 **Short update. I might actually make this into a little series; share this and R &R with whether or not I should continue!**


	3. Chapter 3

It's been three weeks since the wedding. Chloe had just gotten back from Maui, her honeymoon, and was continuing to live in New York with Chicago where she is now a fully-licensed veterinarian and Chicago would be working as a bouncer for many clubs around town.

Fat Amy decided that, after her cruise around the world, she would move back to Australia and use her money to start her Fat Amy Impressions show.

Aubrey has been spreading her franchise all over the country, and is now settling to move in with Beca in LA, where she houses her corporate office.

Beca has decided to leave New York and commit fully to working with DJ Khaled. She lives with Aubrey in a small apartment; Beca has been successful as a music producer thus far, but the company wants her to branch out and become her own solo artist.

All the other Bellas were scattered around the world: Stacie is finishing her studies at Oxford University, Flo is back in Guatemala where she teaches the underprivileged children how to dance, Cynthia Rose is happily married with her wife, living in Seattle, Emily was travelling the world with Benji, writing lyrics about all the places they've been, Lilly-last anyone heard-was back at Area 51, Jessica was finishing graduate school at MIT and Ashley is a licensed psychologist in Maine.

All in all, the Bellas were quite successful as a whole. Everybody appeared very content with their lives, happy with where they've ended up and with whom they've ended up with.

Aside from Beca, that is.

Beca had originally moved to LA alone, planning on living by herself and isolating the world to prevent heartbreak ever again.

But Aubrey saw through to her.

Aubrey called daily, and eventually, moved out to LA with Beca. She claimed it was because the corporate office was located there, but she was truly just concerned for her tiny ex-enemy.

Throughout the years they've known each other, Beca and Aubrey went from being mortal enemies to becoming each others' best friends. Beca used to have Fat Amy and Aubrey used to have Chloe, but as their lives moved on, Beca and Aubrey found each other.

Despite their differences, they complement each other perfectly. Beca keeps Aubrey grounded, and Aubrey keeps Beca sane. They work like positive and negative energy: pushing each other back and forth, working only if the other is working as well.

Beca, however, has been reliant all on Aubrey's positive energy as of late. With Chloe getting married, Beca has lost her way. She's lost motivation and passion for music. Beca has fallen into a depression, making her way through each day with the same routine.

Aubrey wakes her up at 6:00, she gets out of the shower by 6:30, she has to finish a protein shake and a granola bar by 7:00, then off to work at 7:30. At lunch time, Aubrey would visit her at work and force her to eat whatever sandwich Aubrey made her that day; she would never leave until Beca finished eating. After work, Aubrey would pick her up and take her home. She'd make Beca eat dinner later that night, then force her to work on a mix for at least an hour everyday. Then Beca is off to bed by 11:00.

It was the same routine everyday for the past three weeks, and although Aubrey could sympathize with Beca's pain, she needed for the brunette to get out of this funk and back into the sarcastic, care-free personality she had many years ago.

"Up and at 'em, let's go, Mitchell!" Aubrey shouted into a megaphone, right by Beca's bed, and scared the sleeping beauty shitless.

"Chloe!" Beca instinctively screamed as she rolled off her bed and onto the floor.

Aubrey stared at her, not speaking and only had this sad look on her face. Beca looked up and noticed her expression, "it happens a lot. I'll wake up from a nightmare or roll off my bed or trip or whatever and my instinct is to call to her for help. I'm sorry, Bree."

Aubrey pulled a hard face; she shoved down the pity she held for the brunette and set herself back on track to getting Beca back to her old life. "Up, Mitchell. Today is your first day of training. This is going to be an endless program until you are back to being yourself. So get up, pull your ponytail tighter, and there's a protein shake in the kitchen with your name on it. I'll meet you outside in five minutes, flat."

Aubrey blew a loud whistle and Beca flinched, but slowly followed the blonde's instructions.

As soon as Beca stepped outside, Aubrey slapped her hard on the ass. "Move, Mitchell! Move!" Aubrey screamed in Beca's ear, forcing her to start moving her feet. "Faster, Mitchell!"

Beca pulled a face and didn't pick up any speed, earning herself another hard slap on the ass. "What if I have a kink for slapping and I'm just gonna defy you to get another punishment."

Aubrey pulled her arm back and slapped her harder than earlier, making Beca wince and her steps faltering slightly. "Shit, Posen. Fine! I'm running!" Beca started jogging and was surprised to see Aubrey jogging alongside her.

Beca assumed Aubrey would follow closely behind on a scooter or something and slap her ass every time she slowed down. She didn't anticipate for Aubrey to work hard with her.

All Beca's life, people have told her to do things. "Go to college!" "Join a group!" "Lead the team to victory!" "Produce ten songs by the end of the week!" "Just get over her!" Every command was said as if it was the easiest task in the world.

Beca was never used to anyone being by her side, working with her. She gave Aubrey a small smile, then it turned challenging when they caught eye contact. Beca picked up speed and quickly left Aubrey in the dust.

Not long after, Beca had already run out of breath and Aubrey was hot on her tail, passing her up without a sweat. "C'mon, Mitchell. I'm three years older than you! Don't get beat by a grandma!"

Beca loved a good challenge. Quickly catching her breath again, Beca caught up to Aubrey and the pair ran alongside each other, through the city and around the park a few times, then ending up back at the apartment.

Both out of breath, the two slumped down against the wall of the building, each drinking half of the water bottle Aubrey brought along. "Good run, Mitchell. As out of shape as you are, I'm glad you pushed yourself. Tomorrow, we double that. But for now, we hit the gym."

"Wait, what the fuck?"

Aubrey spent the next three hours of their day at the gym with Beca. She had the brunette start with stretches and yoga, to which Beca responded with very sarcastic remarks. Then, they worked with some light weights to build a little muscle, and finished the day with the treadmills and stationary bikes to tone.

By the time all their working out for the day had finished, it was 2:00pm. "Aubrey, if this doesn't kill me, I'm going to kill you." Beca coughed out between harsh breaths, while Aubrey was barely sweating.

"This was just as much conditioning as when we were in the Bellas. You can totally do this everyday, and then some. You kept up well today, but I was going easy. Also, no more drugs or alcohol or junk food. Everything you eat has to be run by me first." Aubrey stared Beca down, letting her know that this was going to be a large part of their new routine.

"And the Nazi returns." Beca rolled her eyes and shoved Aubrey playfully. They laughed and made their way back to the apartment.

* * *

Beca woke up to her phone ringing. _Whoever is waking me up right now better be dying because if they're not, I'm going to kill them._ Beca rolled over and picked up her phone, barely opening up her eyes enough to see the green button.

Without reading the contact, she answered and muttered a barely audible, "hello?"

"Beca, hey." Beca's breath got caught in her throat. She felt herself wake up quickly and was now sitting in bed. She'd know that voice anywhere. "Sorry if I woke you up, but I was just so excited I had to call you! Chicago and I are coming to LA in a few weeks to check out some houses! We're moving!"

Chloe let out a small scream, voicing her excitement, and paused her speech to allow Beca to respond. After hearing nothing for a few seconds, Chloe continued. "I know we haven't talked since the wedding, but you're the only person I know who lives in LA. I was just hoping I could maybe stay with you while we're out visiting?"

Beca felt tears in her eyes. She didn't know what to do or how to respond to Chloe, so she shouted at the top of her lungs, "AUBREY!" Beca could barely hear Chloe's voice on the other end of the phone, "did you just say Aubrey?"

Aubrey burst through Beca's door quickly. This hadn't been the first time Beca screamed for her in the middle of the night, and Aubrey was always there within seconds to comfort the brunette. She expected to have to coerce the half-awake girl back to sleep, but she didn't expect Beca to be wide awake with tears in her eyes and her phone at her ear.

Aubrey walked over to Beca's bed and grabbed the phone from her hand. It took a little bit of prying her fingers off of it since Beca's clutch was so tight, but she managed. As soon as she saw who was on the other end of the phone, she panicked for Beca.

Aubrey took the phone and walked outside of Beca's room, closing the door behind her. "Uh, hey Chlo. It's Aubrey. What's up?" Aubrey tried to keep her voice calm and her breathing even, but she was very worried for what this could do to Beca.

Today was the first day in a long time since Beca was able to joke around. She didn't want that day to go to waste just because Chloe called.

"Why are you at Beca's house?" Chloe asked, genuinely confused.

"Oh, uh, we live together. We have been for like, a month now." The conversation was awkward. Chloe and Aubrey used to be best friends, but ever since Aubrey found Beca on the floor of the bathroom, she stopped speaking to Chloe as well.

"Oh. Um, well I was just calling to see if Chicago and I could stay there for a week while we check out apartments in LA. We're moving there soon." Aubrey's eyes went wide. No wonder why Beca freaked out.

"Uh, I don't know. It'll probably be kind of a tight space-" Aubrey was quickly cut off by Beca snatching the phone from her and speaking to Chloe herself.

"Sorry, Chlo. Aubrey and I share a bed anyways so there's an extra room for you guys. See you soon!" Beca quickly hung up the phone after that, and Aubrey's eyes went wide.

"What! Was! That!" Aubrey managed, completely shocked by what Beca was insinuating.

"I don't know! I panicked! I'm so sorry but I just thought that there's no reason for her to not stay here other than me being completely in love with her, and I can't tell her that so I panicked!" Beca half screamed.

"Okay, okay. It's okay. It'll only be for a week." Aubrey enveloped Beca into a hug, helping her come down from the small anxiety attack she just had. "Nobody will have to know, Beca."

Beca sniffled and wiped her tears on Aubrey's shoulder. "I'm sorry we're dating now."


	4. Chapter 4

It's been a month since the phone call, and Chloe was coming in to LA tomorrow night. Aubrey and Beca agreed that Aubrey would pick the couple up from LAX while Beca could pretend to have to work late and come in later to avoid any confrontation, while Aubrey would distract them for as long as possible.

Throughout the month, Beca and Aubrey began waking up at 4:00am every morning to squeeze in a two hour run before they had to get ready for their day. After their run, Aubrey would shower first while Beca prepared breakfast, and when Beca would shower, Aubrey would pack their lunches.

Their system worked very well and Beca found herself gaining weight again. She even got more color to her face, despite still being able to pass for a vampire. Beca looked healthier and happier, and Aubrey was glad to be there for that transformation.

They had been so caught up in how Beca was doing that they completely forget Chloe and Chicago were coming in the next day. "Aubrey. I just realized, you're an aca-Nazi and I would never date an aca-Nazi and Chloe is never going to believe it."

Beca was hyperventilating, slowly stripping her clothes off in a panic. She was sweating through her shirt and Aubrey couldn't help but grimace and the small pit stain in Beca's gray t-shirt. "Beca, relax. Your sweat is going to flood the apartment. Besides, we never _actually_ said we were dating, we just said we sleep in the same bed. Which could really mean anything. So tonight, we'll both sleep in your bed so it won't come across as such a surprise when Chloe comes. And if she asks why we sleep together but we don't date, it's because all those years at Barden, with Chloe cuddling you, and the three years after when you shared a bed in New York completely changed how you sleep and you'll never admit it, but you need me to cuddle you to bed every night, but it's all platonic and we still hate each other. Deal?"

Beca stared at Aubrey's quick thinking. Immediately, she started crying and Aubrey's eyes went wide. She's been there for Beca's intoxicated cries, for Beca's cries for Chloe, for Beca's cries about her family, but Aubrey has never witnessed Beca crying while laughing maniacally and it terrified her, to say the least.

Aubrey awkwardly patted Beca's shoulder, not sure whether to comfort her or to whip out a Bible and summon whatever demon was in her. "Um, Beca. Are you like, okay?"

Beca immediately stopped laughing, without any warning signs that she was going to slow down earlier and that freaked Aubrey out even more. "What the hell, Beca?"

"I just realized, this is going to be the second time I see Chloe as a married woman. And you know what's pretty fucked up? I can't even be drunk for it." Aubrey's shoulders fell and she grabbed Beca, pulling her in for a tight hug.

"I can't let you drink, Beca. Remember when you drank that night Chloe called? I was worried I was going to have to take you to the hospital, you were so out of it." Beca held tight to Aubrey's waist, not wanting to let go because the blonde girl was the only thing that kept Beca grounded nowadays.

"I know, Bree. I just miss it so much. I miss not having to feel anything. I miss not having to love Chloe." Aubrey sighed and held Beca even tighter, her fingers each rubbing their own small circles over Beca's back.

"Tell you what. Why don't we just go smoke some weed? No more than two bowls in a week, but at least it'll keep your mind off of her. If I notice you relying on it, however, I'm cutting us both off, deal?"

This was a test for Beca. Aubrey wanted to see how dependent the brunette really was on drugs and alcohol. If Beca reacted too excitedly, Aubrey wouldn't allow them to smoke because that would only increase her chances of getting addicted. If she made Aubrey make the decision if she was ready, however, she would choose to not allow them to smoke. Beca needed to learn to be strong for herself and know her own limits. Aubrey would always be there to help her, but she couldn't be Beca's brain 24/7.

"I think I shouldn't smoke weed. I just don't think something so strong should be dictating my life right now. Maybe we can try again later when I'm a little better, but for now, no." Aubrey smiled and held a tear back at hearing Beca's confession. She was so proud of how far along her friend has come.

"But, maybe, we can try a Juul? It's just nicotine and it'll give me the satisfaction of feeling buzzed without too much nicotine intake. I won't do more than a pod every two weeks because one pod is equal to one pack of cigarettes. I think I'm ready for that, but if you're not comfortable with me doing that then I don't need to." Beca pulled back from the hug just enough to look at Aubrey's face, and bit her lip in anticipation for Aubrey's response.

Depending on what she said, Aubrey either trusted Beca or she didn't and the answer terrified her. On the one hand, if she didn't trust her, then Beca wasn't getting any better at all. But on the other hand, if she did trust her, then Aubrey might leave since it'd be clear that Beca didn't really need her anymore.

As much as they hated each other all those years ago, Beca has learned to love Aubrey and Aubrey has come to love Beca, as well, platonically. All they have been through together in the past two months has brought them closer than anyone could've ever imagined.

"Okay. I'll do it with you so I know what you're feeling and we can work on what's a good system for measuring how much and when and when to stop. Deal?" Aubrey smiled and Beca was ecstatic at Aubrey trusted her.

But then her own doubts clouded her brain and her smile dropped. Upon seeing this, Aubrey scrunched her eyebrows and squeezed Beca's shoulders, prompting the smaller girl to say whatever is on her mind. "Are you going to leave me? Because like, I'm getting better and eventually you won't have to babysit me anymore and I know I'm annoying and I'm too big to be babied even though I'm only 5'2 but I just don't want you to leave, Aubrey, because you're all I have left and even though I have so much trouble getting in touch with my feelings, you managed to break down my walls and help build me back up and I don't want to do life without you anymore because I love you, Posen."

Beca voiced her entire mind in one breath and found herself sort of winded by the end of her speech. Aubrey simply gave Beca a small smile and brought her in for another hug. Aubrey leaned down enough to put her head on Beca's shoulder and whisper in her ear, "I love you too, Beca. And I won't ever leave you."

They stood there for a few more minutes, relishing in the comfort of each other's arms and processing the fact that, that was the first time they'd ever said "I love you" to each other, but both knew the other meant it platonically.

* * *

"Get over here, you aca-bitch!" Aubrey squealed as Chloe ran at her, throwing her luggage and backpack on the ground and jumping into Aubrey's arms. Her legs wrapped around Aubrey's waist and the two stood there hugging and crying.

Chicago had picked up Chloe's thrown bags and loaded all their bags into the trunk of Aubrey's-well, Beca's-car. It was a gray 2001 Subaru Outback. It was actually Beca's first car when she started driving, and she's loved it ever since. The car is starting to get on its last leg, however, but Beca refuses to dump it. Instead, she'll just pay to get parts fixed and drive it until something else breaks.

"I missed you so much, Chloe!" Aubrey finally let Chloe down and the two stood holding each other's hands, quickly catching up. Chicago finally cleared his throat and earned the attention of the two girls. "Sorry, Chicago. I just miss my best friend; you know how it is."

Chicago smiled. He wore a black t-shirt with ARMY written across the chest in yellow. His shorts were black and his shirt was tucked in. Although it was supposed to be casual wear, he still looked dashing. "It's okay, Aubrey. I'm just getting tired. It's nearly 2:00am in New York, right now."

They loaded into the car, Aubrey driving with Chloe in the passenger seat and Chicago taking the bitch seat. "Aubs, where's Beca? I thought she would pick us up with you?" Chloe asked as she took a look around the car, relishing in the smell.

It was a clean smell, but Chloe could make out hints of old wood and spray paint, smells that would always remind her of Beca's rebellious days. God, how Chloe wished Beca would never change.

"She got stuck at work. She'll probably be home late, but hopefully you'll see her tomorrow after our run!" Aubrey said casually, though she was saddened by the fact that it took this long for Chloe to notice Beca's absence.

"Beca runs? Like do you chase her in this car or something?" Chicago laughed at Chloe's joke, knowing so much about the brunette from how much Chloe talks about her.

"She and I actually are workout buddies! We wake up at four everyday and run for two hours, then some nights we'll hit the gym for a few more hours if we aren't too tired." Aubrey smiled, thinking about how proud she is of where Beca is now.

"So, how long have you guys been dating?" Chicago asked casually, while Chloe choked on her own tongue and Aubrey slammed on the brake quickly, but not enough to hurt anyone.

"Oh God, that was a total misunderstanding. Beca and I do share a bed, yes. And because of that, there is an empty room in our apartment. But we aren't dating. She's just become a cuddly sleeper now that she's incapable of falling asleep without being the big spoon." Chloe smiled at the thought. Beca had always been the big spoon when they shared a bed together in New York, and Beca had always been the one to initiate the cuddling whenever they went to bed.

"Did you break Beca Mitchell? Turn her into a little softie?" Chloe joked and playfully nudged Aubrey's arm, careful to make sure she wouldn't be switching gears at that exact moment.

"Oh, Chloe. You broke her. You cuddled her so much before, she can't live without cuddles now!" Everybody in the car broke out in laughter, thinking about the tiny, edgy, angsty, badass they all knew and loved.

"I am going to smother her in hugs when I see her." Chloe smiled and thought about all the different ways she could hug her tiny best friend.

Meanwhile, Aubrey began to panic inside her own mind, not realizing that Chloe really was going to attack Beca with hugs and knowing that Beca would probably freak out at the action.

* * *

Aubrey, Chloe, and Chicago all sat in the living room watching TV together. It was nearing 2:00am but nobody was falling asleep. Suddenly, the door swung open and Beca had her Juul in her mouth, in the middle of taking a rather large hit while she completely missed the fact that there were three pairs of eyes on her.

She turned around after closing the door and made eye contact with each person. In the midst of all her shock, Beca managed to choke on the smoke she inhaled, resulting in her having a rather embarrassing cough attack.

There were tears in her eyes and her gum had fallen out of her mouth. Aubrey was instantly grabbing a cup of water while Chicago lifted her up, and Chloe cupped Beca's face. Aubrey gave Beca the water who very willingly finished the cup in record time.

When she finally calmed down, nobody had spoken yet, so she took the honors. "First thing's first: never make me cough or laugh or drool while I'm taking a hit." Everybody laughed. They all missed the sarcastic edge that Beca used to always have.

The four stayed up all night, on accident, each taking turns telling stories and Chloe choking each time she took a hit from the Juul. "Lungs of paper" is what Beca would say each time Chloe took a tiny hit and would cough.

They talked and enjoyed themselves, except for Aubrey. She studied Beca intently all night long, checking for any signs of sadness or fakeness in her tone.

But she found nothing.

Beca just seemed completely and genuinely happy. All this time, Aubrey thought that Beca needed to build herself a new home. Turn the apartment in LA into a home where she could feel safe.

But upon seeing Beca tonight, seeing how she is with Chloe, Aubrey finally realizes.

Chloe is Beca's home.

* * *

 **I got so many reviews for the last chapter, I thought I'd surprise you with another update the same night! But I think I'm gonna mix things up a bit to make sure you all stay hooked on the story: I won't post the next chapter until I reach at least 15 reviews on this chapter. It's just a little more than what's happening now, but I love the feedback!**


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Beca and Aubrey went to work and left Chloe and Chicago to have the apartment to themselves. Aubrey assumed they would unpack and hopefully get some sleep, but Beca was thinking that they'd be having sex all over her apartment.

Chicago. Taking the love of her life. And having sex all over her apartment.

The thought haunted Beca all day and she was hardly able to edit a single song. She was sent home early, her boss claiming that she needed to, quote: "go out, get drunk, have sex, then produce some killer tracks on Monday."

Beca thought it over. She could go for some alcohol, but knew how bad it would be for herself and how much it would hurt Aubrey if she dared to even take a sip. So she pushed that thought out of her mind.

She couldn't exactly have sex anytime soon. She hasn't been laid in months, aside from her left hand. With her apartment full of people, and her now sharing a bed with Aubrey, she couldn't even pleasure herself for a week, let alone bring some stranger home for a random hook-up.

Besides, she could hardly think of having no-strings-attached-sex with anyone while Chloe was in the same city as her.

She couldn't even fathom the thought of being with someone else while the one person she did want to be with was so near.

She got home and sat in her car, Juuling, before heading up to her apartment. As she sat, she thought about how she was so capable of being okay last night, talking to Chloe while she held Chicago's hand.

She didn't think she'd be able to handle herself with Chloe and Chicago together, but maybe she was subconsciously moving on. Maybe she didn't love Chloe as much as she thought she did.

She walked upstairs and straight into the apartment. Chicago passed her in the hallway and said he was going for a run, but that Chloe is still home. She smiled and told him a good path to take, surprising herself with her hospitality.

She figured she would have an awful attitude towards Chicago, especially if the two were alone. She never anticipated that she would be nice to him. Maybe she really is moving on from Chloe.

As soon as she opened the door, Chloe was standing in the kitchen, pouring herself a bowl of cereal and singing Slow Hands by Niall Horan. She swayed her hips slightly to the beat, careful not to spill any cereal as she poured it into the bowl.

When she turned around, Beca saw she was wearing an old Barden t-shirt and Beca's old pair of sweats. "Beca! Why are you here? I thought you don't get off until five?" Chloe stopped her singing and smiled at Beca.

Beca looked at her. Chloe had her hair up in a messy bun, her clothes were huge and dirty, she had no makeup on aside from the smeared mascara on her cheeks, she looked like a mess.

But Beca couldn't help the feeling she got in her stomach when she looked at the sight in front of her. For a moment, each time she blinked, she saw herself waking up next to Chloe and getting this view every morning.

Beca definitely was not over Chloe.

 _But I wouldn't mind being under her._ Beca thought. But shook the idea from her brain and responded to Chloe. "I got kicked out of work today. Too distracted so, here I am."

"Couldn't stop thinking about me, could you, Mitchell?" Chloe raised her eyebrows then shot Beca a wink, continuing to eat her cereal. Beca couldn't help but melt at the sight.

"In your dreams, Beale." Beca shook her head and walked past Chloe to the couch. She sat down and turned the TV on to watch Grey's Anatomy.

"You are my dream, Mitchell." Chloe sat down next to Beca, threw her feet on her lap, and watched the show with Beca.

Beca blushed but masked it, relishing in the comfort of the domestic feeling of the moment between her and Chloe. As soon as Chloe's feet fell in Beca's lap, she automatically started massaging her.

They sat in silence watching the show, but as soon as the episode finished, Chloe put her bowl down and laid her head in Beca's lap. "I'm so tired."

"Go to sleep, dude." Beca absentmindedly began rubbing her fingers on Chloe's head.

"Sleep with me." Chloe tilted her face to look up at Beca, and Beca looked down at her.

Beca wanted, more than anything, to hold Chloe and fall asleep with her right now. But she knew it was wrong. Chloe was married.

Beca stood up so abruptly that Chloe almost fell to the floor. "Um, I'm gonna go lay down in my room. Wake me when Aubrey comes home or if you need something." Beca kept her eyes on the floor and didn't wait for a response from Chloe.

As soon as she got into her bed, she let out muffled cries into her pillow. All she wanted was to love Chloe freely, but knowing how the redhead is a naturally touchy person, she had to be the one to control the situations and stop them from going too far.

She wasn't allowed to love Chloe.

* * *

Aubrey closed the bedroom door behind her and climbed onto the bed, gathering Beca's sleeping body into her arms. Beca cried herself to sleep three hours ago, and as soon as Aubrey saw her red nose, puffy eyes and wet pillow, she knew Beca had been crying.

She slowly shook Beca awake, careful not to startle the girl. As soon as Beca opened her eyes, she found Aubrey looking at her. The blonde's grip was tight around Beca, but she still managed to kick her way out of Aubrey's hold.

"What are you doing?" Beca muttered quietly, avoiding eye contact and pulling the sheet up to her chin.

"Are you okay? Chloe said you came in here for a nap earlier, and I know you don't take naps. So what's going on?" Aubrey moved her hand to try and place it comfortingly on Beca's shoulder, but her hand was shrugged off.

"Nothing. Just tired. I'm fine now, though." Beca got up and walked to the bathroom, ignoring Aubrey trying to get her to talk.

Aubrey sighed and rubbed her face. She could feel Beca's walls pulling themselves back up, stronger and higher than before. She knew that Beca was hurting and she could respect that, especially with Chloe and Chicago staying in their house for the week, but she wishes Beca wouldn't shut her out.

She found Chloe and Chicago sitting on the couch and talking to each other. She couldn't help but notice how Chicago never seemed to look at Chloe the same way Beca did-not even during the wedding. He looked at her like he loved her, but he didn't seem to have the same glow Beca does when he smiles at her. Something about the way Chicago looks at Chloe isn't the same as how Beca looks at her and Aubrey can't help but feel that Chloe and Chicago aren't meant to be together when there's someone like Beca around.

"Bree! Chicago and I were talking and we were wondering if we could go to a club tonight? Chicago was talking to the owner of P-3 and he could get Beca a gig tonight if she really wanted one!" Chloe turned her head and saw Aubrey standing there. She propositioned her idea and hoped that they could all go to a club tonight and watch Beca mix music live and in her element.

"Yeah dude, let's go." Beca emerged from the bathroom, looking like she had never been crying, and was agreeing to go to the club. Even though the question was addressed to Aubrey, Beca answered because she knew the blonde would decline in favor of Beca's mental health.

"Yes! Okay, Becs, the club opens at nine, so you have to be there by eight to set up and everything. Go get ready, we leave in one hour." Chloe jumped up from her seat on the couch and began rummaging through her luggage.

Beca kept a straight face and walked to her room, looking for something suitable for her first gig at a pretty popular club. Aubrey followed Beca and tried to talk to the brunette as they got ready.

"So, are you excited for tonight?" Aubrey didn't know what to say. She didn't want to scare Beca off, but she also didn't want Beca to forget that Aubrey wasn't her enemy anymore.

"Sure." Beca didn't sound mad at Aubrey, but her tone reflected that of the tone she carried so flawlessly throughout her freshman year at Barden. She sounded cold and distant-scared, even-but more guarded this time than last. Aubrey closed her eyes and took a breath.

Beca had been broken again.

* * *

 **Super short chapter. Let me know what you want to see happen at the club in the next chapter! Thanks so much for 15 reviews on Chapter 4, let's try for 15 again? :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I normally don't like fics with long ANs, so I'll make this quick. Thanks so much for reviewing, I really do read every single one and each comment makes an impact on the next chapter!**

 **P.S. to those of you who noticed, P-3 is a reference to Charmed! ;)**

* * *

"Tobias! This is the DJ I was telling you about. Beca, this is Tobias, the club manager." Chicago introduced the group, namely Beca, to Tobias.

"Much more girl than I thought. When you told me 'Reggie Mitch' would be spinning for me, I definitely expected a lot less...woman." The man was tall and handsome. He had a very rugged look to him.

Tobias was definitely attractive, Beca first noted. He had a thick British accent, much more attractive than Luke's was. His short brown hair worked a good look for him, but Beca was mostly interested in his stubble.

When she was with Jesse, he always kept a very clean-shaven look. He always had a baby face look to him, adding to his boyish charm. However, she did always wonder how different it would be to kiss a man with some stubble.

"Are her boobs a problem for you? Because I'll have you know she's the best damn DJ you'll ever lay your eyes on and if you think for a second that the fact that she has a _vagina_ -" Aubrey started to yell and get up in the man's face.

Beca immediately stepped in front of her and put her hands on Aubrey's shoulders. She pushed the blonde down and whispered in her ear to calm and that Beca can handle it.

Aubrey took a deep breath and relaxed, but her glare never left Tobias.

Chloe couldn't help but notice how close her two best friends had gotten over time, and how she wishes she was still as close with them as they are with each other.

"What Aubrey means to say is that, I'm qualified to spin for your club. I've been here and I know your regular DJ. I promise he's good and I admire his style, but I can just bring something he can't. And if you're willing to give me a chance to prove myself, despite my gender, I think you'll be surprised." Beca was extremely calm.

Working with DJ Khaled, she's learned she's good enough to play essentially any club in the LA area. Rather than being the irrational and impulsive ball of anger she would have been two years ago, she's much more mature and collected.

Chloe smiled at how much her tiny friend has grown since her freshman year.

"Not a problem to me, Reggie. Chicago just made you sound like a man so I assumed. I am interested, however, in what you can do that my guy can't." Tobias crossed his arms and looked down at Beca who was now smirking.

"How about I just show you." Beca stepped past Tobias and walked up to the DJ booth. She looked around for a minute, taking in all the equipment and familiarizing herself with the new environment.

"Two of you, each pick a song." Beca said into the microphone, ordering the group she left behind to give her a challenge.

"What Do You Mean by Justin Bieber!" Chloe shouted back at Beca. The brunette simply rolled her eyes at the exact answer she expected from her.

Aubrey knew what Beca was going to do. So she picked a song she knew that Beca would struggle with, but that if she pulled it off, it would do more than just impress Tobias. "One Last Time by Ariana Grande."

"You're a bitch, Posen." Beca laughed into the microphone before looking for the songs on the laptop set out.

Tobias watched as Beca started the mashup with One Last Time, but laced Justin Bieber's vocals over the track. It sounded different at first, listening to the beat of one song but hearing the words of another. Though nobody could argue that it didn't sound good.

Beca worked effortlessly, switching dials and running tracks, lacing the two songs together to create one perfect mashup. To her ears, it sounded rough on the edges with slightly gapped transitions, but she was picky. Everybody was nodding their heads along and lightly dancing, but Tobias remained stoic.

Beca knew he wasn't impressed yet, but just recognizing her talent. So she set Justin Bieber's beat down, amplifying the bass and silencing Ariana Grande's voice, but leaving a subtle beat of One Last Time to overlap with What Do You Mean. Soon, there were no vocals but simply just a steady beat. She lapped the music over to create higher tone with Bieber's "ooh" on repeat.

She then switched on her own microphone and began to sing Ariana Grande's song, blending her own style of the song into her mix. She watched as Aubrey grinned, knowing exactly that's what she was going to do.

Chloe stopped dancing and mindlessly began walking closer to the DJ booth, completely infatuated with Beca's vocals playing over the song.

Chicago smiled and was impressed with Beca's performance, just as he was the night that she performed Freedom '90, announcing herself as DJ Khaled's newest talent.

Tobias squinted his eyes and felt his arms tighten at the new addition. He showed no signs of loving or hating Beca's creation, but even he couldn't help drop his jaw when Beca hit Ariana Grande's signature high note, sounding a very angelic whistle-tone through the speakers.

She elegantly ended the song and was now standing proud from the DJ booth.

"Beca! Holy shit!" Chloe screamed from down at the dance floor, but Aubrey was already up in the booth with Beca, giving her the biggest hug Chloe has ever seen the brunette return.

"So, Tobias, what do you think?" Beca was slightly out of breath, slowly coming down from the high of performing. The man's face was unreadable, and Beca was starting to worry she'd been too cocky and gave off a bad impression.

"How do you feel taking Friday and Saturday shifts, double what my main guy makes? You only have to work those two days." Tobias was sporting a face-splitting grin and he was ecstatic at the idea of working with a new talent, especially someone as amazing as Beca.

Beca's eyes widened and she completely blocked out Aubrey's and Chloe's cheers for her. "Are you serious? Dude, I have to check with Khaled and make sure it's like legal and whatever but yeah, I'm down." Beca could barely fathom how quickly Tobias offered her such a steady job.

"What do you mean Khaled? DJ Khaled?" Tobias raised his eyebrows and unfolded his arms, shoving his hands in his pockets now.

"Yeah, I'm sort of like his new talent that he picked up off the USO Tour a couple years ago or whatever." Beca tried to play it off as if it wasn't a big deal, but being signed with DJ Khaled was such a big deal.

"No fucking way. You're Beca Mitchell? If Chicago had called you by your real name, rather than whatever shit he made up, I would have never disrespected you. I idolize the work you do and I've even managed to steal a couple of your sample tracks from the studio, but it's cool because Theo and I are friends." Tobias now looked starstruck.

Beca didn't know how to respond, so Aubrey did it for her. "She'll work based off of reactions for tonight, but we need to see a contract before we agree to anything."

"Deal."

* * *

Beca had been in the DJ booth for about three hours now, playing music non-stop while Tobias continuously brought her water to keep hydrated. It was nearing eleven when Tobias screamed in her ear, over the music, "if you want, you can take a break! I'll have Tommy step in for an hour so you can rest! You get to finish the night thought!"

Beca nodded, signalling she'll take him up on his proposition, but pointed to the dials, indicating that she planned to finish this song with an easy transition for the amateur.

Once Beca felt Tommy could handle the mixes she prepared, she followed Tobias up to a VIP room that played the music in a soundproof box, but not at an obnoxiously loud sound. "THANKS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY!" Beca shouted, not realizing her volume. "Shit, sorry. I always do that after I'm trapped in that box for a while."

Tobias chuckled and shook his head, offering Beca a margarita. "No thanks, I'll just take a beer."

"One of the guys, then?" Tobias cocked his head, handing Beca a bottle of beer and lifting his own bottle.

Clinking their bottles together, Beca took a quick sip before responding, "so what's your story? How'd you get to own this badass club but still be like-what, how old are you?"

"27."

"Fucking hell."

"You're the same age as me and you're signed to DJ Khaled! By far, way more successful than I." Tobias chuckled as Beca shook her head, looking incredulously at the man before her.

"Dude, I'm struggling up there. No one takes me serious because I still look like a baby."

"I take you seriously. And I think you look beautiful." Beca blushed at the statement. She never really thought of her as one of the most beautiful girls. She knew she was pretty, but there are always going to be things she hates about herself.

"Dude...don't be cheesy." Beca managed a small laugh and shoved Tobias' shoulder. "But hey, I like your name. As cool as it is though, it's way too classy. Can I call you like 'Toby' or something?"

"Nobody calls me 'Toby' but I guess I can make an exception for you." Beca smiled at the special treatment she was getting.

"Alright, Toby. You need to loosen up. So let's go dance for a couple songs and I'll finish the set for you." Beca finished her beer and grabbed Toby's wrist, beginning to drag him out of the VIP box.

"Oh no, I don't dance."

"C'mon, dude. You own a nightclub."

"Especially not in my own nightclub. I'll just watch from up here." Toby shook his head and gave a small smile, hoping Beca would accept the rejection.

"No way, dude. If Chloe can convince me to join acapella, I can convince you to dance. Let's go." Beca grabbed his wrist tighter and pulled him outside and onto the dance floor.

The wormed their way into the middle, Beca dancing subtly to Closer by The Chainsmokers. "You dragged me down here, you better be able to keep up!" Toby yelled over the music, grabbing Beca's hands and encouraging her to dance more freely.

She started laughing at Toby's ridiculous dance moves. His body moves so awkwardly, not really matching the beat but she enjoyed watching the uptight man let loose. She cheered him on and started dancing with him, not worrying how ridiculous she probably looked as well.

* * *

Chicago left for the bathroom, leaving Chloe and Aubrey to dance alone in the midst of the large crowd. They noticed a large difference between Beca's mixing and the new songs that were playing now, and looked around to see if they could find their small DJ.

"There she is!" Aubrey pointed towards the direction where she saw Beca dancing with Tobias, deeper in the crowd than they were.

"Is that Tobias?" Chloe shouted over the music, finding it difficult to distinguish who Beca was laughing at - or maybe with - as she was dancing. "I can't believe she's even dancing! Remember when we had to bribe her with Taco Bell just to get her to even go to a club?"

"Yeah, she's changed so much! She's definitely much more comfortable in her own skin now, she even acts like you sometimes. She really isn't as shy as she used to be!" Aubrey shouted back, watching intently as Beca danced with Tobias.

They all knew how red-faced Beca would get when she's drunk, but she appeared completely sober as she danced. She just seemed incredibly content with herself and Aubrey couldn't have been happier for her tiny friend.

Chloe, on the other hand, was upset at how easily Tobias got Beca to dance with him, but when they were in college together, it was hard to convince Beca to even do the choreography for their performances.

* * *

Beca was back up at the booth, and it was nearing four in the morning. The club was beginning to close and Beca announced that this would be the final song of the night. There was a collective groan from the audience, which only spurred Beca on because she was glad that she would be missed.

For her last track, Beca took the Purge siren and made a dubstep mash of it. The crowd seemed worried at the first sound of the horn, but finally recognized that it was part of the song and began dancing.

The crowd loved it and began jumping and screaming, dancing harder than anybody's danced all night. It wasn't as full as it was before, but there were still a decent number - around 300 - of people staying to watch Beca's final song.

She spotted Chloe and Aubrey dancing together in the crowd, jumping and screaming at each other while Chicago looked on and danced a bit more reserved.

She spotted a couple of men kissing and grinding against each other as a large group of people surrounded them and jumped so hard, the men were jostled around.

She saw a short girl in the crowd dancing with her tall friends, struggling to jump as high as them but not having any less of a good time.

Finally, she looked to the left and, in the corner of the club, saw Toby standing with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face as he admired his newest DJ.

She smiled back and gave a wink, then blending Young, Wild, and Free over the dubstep track from the Purge. As the songs continued to play off each other, Beca muted Bruno Mars and sang the last few chords on her own.

"Living young, and wild, and free." The crowd screamed louder than they had all night, completely shocked that their DJ would blend her own vocals into the mix. "Thank you everyone! My name is Beca Mitchell and I hope you all get home safe tonight! Thank you!" She screamed into the microphone before playing a playlist set up by the club designed for leaving the party.

The music was significantly quieter and the club was nearly empty when Beca finished cleaning up her spot in the booth and ran back down to meet Chloe, Aubrey, Chicago, and Tobias.

"BECA!" Chloe and Aubrey screamed as their ran towards their DJ, enveloping her in a large hug that was nearing suffocation.

After everyone gave Beca their rounds of congratulations and complimenting her on how well the night went, Chicago said he would hail a cab for them to get home and left.

"I really hope we can work together, Beca. Here's my number. Let me know what you think." Tobias smiled and handed Beca a ripped piece of paper with his number scribbled in black ink, and "Toby" written across the top.

"CAB'S HERE!" Chicago stuck his head inside the door and shouted at the three girls, letting them know it was time to go.

"Yeah, I gotta go. But I'll definitely give you a call." Beca gave a small smile and ran after Aubrey and Chloe, who had already made their way out of the door.

Chicago sat up front with the cab driver while the three girls piled into the back, barely fitting inside the small car.

Beca took out the piece of paper again, and put Toby's number in her phone. "Ooh, Toby. Nicknames already? Whatcha thinking, Becs? Do you like him?" Chloe looked over Beca's shoulder and saw the little nickname she'd come up with for Tobias.

Beca felt her mood drop and forced a small smile on her face. "No, I don't." Beca said quietly, barely looking at Chloe before turning around and facing Aubrey instead.

The blonde looked over at Beca and noted the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. Aubrey could do nothing but place her hand comfortingly on Beca's thigh and watching Beca fall apart.

 _I don't like him, Chloe. I love you._

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long to update. I've been swamped! This was kind of just a filler chapter, but next chapter will give more insight into what happened between Aubrey and Chloe. Any guesses?**


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